Scal got ragged on here quite a bit, to the point where fans underestimated how talented he was. Apparently that got under Scal's skin:

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Over 11 NBA seasons, journeyman forward Brian Scalabrine cultivated an image of a regular guy who just happened to play basketball. Eventually, many fans came to believe that Scalabrine was an Average Joe, not an elite athlete (as all NBA players are), and figured that he probably wasn't that great at the profession that earned him tens of millions of dollars. This summer, Scalabrine said that he resented this suggestion (even if he also heartily embraced the regular guy image), and in December he challenged any Boston-area amateur basketball players to games of one-on-one.

On Monday, Scalabrine faced four hand-picked competitors. He destroyed them all. From CBS Boston (via TBJ):

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Scalabrine, who retired over the summer after a very serviceable 11-year NBA career, took on four of Boston’s best ballers in 98.5 The Sports Hub’s 1-on-1 “Scallenge,” put on by morning hosts Toucher & Rich.

Listeners sent in their try-out videos, showing off their skills and talking some trash towards Scal, but it turns out even Boston’s best was no match for Scalabrine. [...]

Scalabrine — who spent the last few seasons of his career seen as the “human victory cigar” — easily defeated all four of his opponents, throwing down monstrous jams and sinking smooth jumpers as he beat them all by a combined score of 44-6.

That link also features a 30-minute video of the action, and it becomes very clear very quickly that Scalabrine is on another level from these athletes. Even against decent competition — the first challenger, Matt Tomaszewski, was on Syracuse's roster just last season — Scalabrine owned everyone. The second and third games were both shutouts, and the six points scored included one two-pointer. In four games, Scalabrine conceded just five baskets.

The guy was a pre-season All-America, and had a long NBA career. He's better than many think he is. Good for Scal for shutting down his critics.

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

The first guy in the video, Matt Tomaszewski, played at Syracuse (walk-on, I believe) and is 6'8".

Yeah the first guy was the only one who gave him any kind of a challenge and he looked to be an inch or two shorter. But not nearly as big in terms of build. Scal looks like a MAN compared to these boys he's playing.

Logged

"This is the absurdity of the NBA. It's beautiful to watch."- Jeff Van Gundy

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

That's unbelievably false. One of biggest misconceptions in sports. Maybe the average tall basketball player has more incentive to work on his game, but what you're saying simply isn't true, ESPECIALLY 1 on 1. A decent speed advantage can be much more deadly if used properly and more so than in a team setting where angles are a bigger factor.

Plus we're only talking about a couple inches here. Though even a foot+ wouldn't change any sort of difference in skill. Nate Robinson could easily hand any college player his lunch with only 1 man between him and the basket.

I've been eagerly waiting for the Scallenge since he told us about it. I fully expected this outcome, especially considering his biggest strength was defense. I knew nobody would be able to beat him with only the dribble, otherwise they'd have their choice of college or already be playing overseas.

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

That's unbelievably false. One of biggest misconceptions in sports. Maybe the average tall basketball player has more incentive to work on his game, but what you're saying simply isn't true, ESPECIALLY 1 on 1. A decent speed advantage can be much more deadly if used properly and more so than in a team setting where angles are a bigger factor.

You are wrong, sorry.

Put a short guy against a tall guy and the tall guy just backs down the little guy into the post. The tall guy woudn't need a whole lot of skill to do so either, just a strength advantage.

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

The first guy in the video, Matt Tomaszewski, played at Syracuse (walk-on, I believe) and is 6'8".

Yeah the first guy was the only one who gave him any kind of a challenge and he looked to be an inch or two shorter. But not nearly as big in terms of build. Scal looks like a MAN compared to these boys he's playing.

The third guy fought him a lot harder than the score indicated. He was the only guy who could occasionally generate open looks for himself. His shots just weren't falling.

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

That's unbelievably false. One of biggest misconceptions in sports. Maybe the average tall basketball player has more incentive to work on his game, but what you're saying simply isn't true, ESPECIALLY 1 on 1. A decent speed advantage can be much more deadly if used properly and more so than in a team setting where angles are a bigger factor.

You are wrong, sorry.

Put a short guy against a tall guy and the tall guy just backs down the little guy into the post. The tall guy woudn't need a whole lot of skill to do so either, just a strength advantage.

Just a question, were any of the dudes that played against him even close to his height?

One thing I've learned is, when dealing with average ball players (the kind you'd find at the park), a heighth disadvantage is almost impossible to deal with 1v1.

Scal is a legit 6'9" isn't he?

That's unbelievably false. One of biggest misconceptions in sports. Maybe the average tall basketball player has more incentive to work on his game, but what you're saying simply isn't true, ESPECIALLY 1 on 1. A decent speed advantage can be much more deadly if used properly and more so than in a team setting where angles are a bigger factor.

You are wrong, sorry.

Put a short guy against a tall guy and the tall guy just backs down the little guy into the post. The tall guy woudn't need a whole lot of skill to do so either, just a strength advantage.

Height is a huge advantage in basketball, but it doesn't trump all other physical attributes or skills. There are defensive tricks that one can use to stop a bigger guy who is just trying to back his way into the post against you.

If he's got more than a foot on you and even a little basketball skill, then you are definitely fighting an uphill battle, but I know from personal experience that players who are taller, but slower and less skilled, can be beaten by shorter players in a game of one on one.

1. This was more of a fun contest than anything. Scal wasn't proving critics wrong. It was a fun bit he basically did with Toucher and Rich.

2. I don't think any contestants thought they had a prayer. It was more of a story to tell and a fun chance to play one on one. I griefs to get my buddy who played d3 but he wasn't into it. Although he did have a strategy if he were to play him.

Also people talking about a height advantage. There was a 10 second shot clock so its not like he could really take hos time. Anyone who doesn't.think Scal is that good is an idiot.

And im sure smaller scrubs like Gabe Pruitt would abuse these guys too. Same with a 45 year old dana barrows